"I can help you find Sikong Kuang, but I need you to help me return to the Sikong family." Yun Di knew he couldn't defeat Ye Lanshan, yet she needed him to find someone for her. Since that was the case, why not seize this opportunity to reclaim what was rightfully his?
"Return to the Sikong family?" Ye Lanshan was a bit puzzled. Wasn't he the town chief's son? What did he have to do with the Sikong family?
Yun Di naturally understood her confusion and said, "My mother's surname is Sikong."
Ye Lanshan seemed to grasp something. She stepped forward, reaching for the talisman on him—though she had no intention of actually tearing it off. If she did, and he suddenly attacked, she might not be able to handle it.
Yun Di, thinking she was about to remove the talisman, grew excited. But to his surprise, she didn't take it off. Instead, she leaned close to his ear and asked softly, "Then what exactly is your relationship with Sikong Kuang?"
After that, she conjured a dagger out of thin air and pressed it against his neck, as if she would slit his throat if he didn't give a proper explanation.
"My mother is Sikong Kuang's sister, but Sikong Kuang has long since left the Sikong family. So if you want to find Sikong Kuang, I'm the only one who can."
"I've told you everything. Now, can you move that dagger away?" Yun Di discreetly pushed the blade aside with his finger.
Ye Lanshan withdrew the dagger but didn't remove the talisman. Instead, she sat back down. "In that case, let's swear a Heavenly Oath."
Yun Di wasn't surprised by her approach. After all, if he were in her shoes, he wouldn't easily trust a stranger either—especially one who had tried to kill him.
"I'll swear the Heavenly Oath, but you have to swear one too." Yun Di clearly wasn't one to be taken advantage of. While he didn't find her actions strange, that didn't mean he was willing to be put in a position of submission.
He had assumed Ye Lanshan would be forced to swear the oath for the sake of information about Sikong Kuang, but he hadn't expected to be wrong.
Ye Lanshan calmly pulled out the dagger she had just put away and said, "If you don't swear, then die."
"I'll swear, I'll swear right now! But miss, you have to tell me your name." Seeing that Ye Lanshan was genuinely intent on killing him, Yun Di quickly withdrew his conditions.
"Ye Lanshan." After stating her name, she kept her eyes fixed on Yun Di.
Feeling unnerved by her stare, Yun Di hastily swore the Heavenly Oath.
Ye Lanshan then retrieved the talisman and let him go, as she still had other matters to attend to.
After Yun Di left, Ye Lanshan slipped into her own space. Joyfully, she said to Ye Yu, "Someone knows where Sikong Kuang is and has agreed to help us find him. But you might have to wait a few more days. Don't worry, I'll definitely heal your meridians."
Ye Yu replied helplessly, "Miss, you really don't need to worry so much about my meridians."
"I know you're going to bring up that swordsmanship of yours again, right? Fine, let me ask you—even if your swordsmanship is incredible, so what? Can you escape a sea of flames now? Can you dodge a mountain-sized golden axe?"
"I can't right now, but I believe I'll reach that level someday." Ye Yu's tone was resolute.
Seeing this, Ye Lanshan didn't press further. She knew that Ye Yu kept saying such things to comfort her.
After that, Ye Lanshan didn't return to the space. Instead, she stayed outside to help Yun Di plan, even teaching him the Clear Mind Mantra several times to help him suppress his increasingly irritable and sinister temper.
This orderly routine continued for about half a month.
"My eyes are finally healed. I guess it's time to go back to school." Ye Lanshan shielded her eyes from the glaring sunlight, looking utterly languid.
Though Yun Di had seen her every day during this time, he couldn't help but be captivated by her lazy demeanor. The sunlight filtering through her fingers cast a glow on her face, making her seem even more ethereal, as if she were untouched by worldly affairs.
"Oh, right." Ye Lanshan pulled out a stack of talismans and handed them to Yun Di. "If anything comes up in the future, use these to contact me."
"What are these?" Yun Di had seen plenty of strange things lately, but this was his first time encountering such peculiar talismans.
The talismans were as translucent as jade, emitting a faint green glow.
"These are Communication Talismans," Ye Lanshan explained. "They're a tool for sending messages and represent one's image. What do you think? Aren't the ones I gave you beautiful?"
Seeing Ye Lanshan act so childlike for the first time, Yun Di could only nod in agreement and say, "Beautiful." To be honest, though, the talismans really were quite attractive.
Back at the academy, Ye Yutian and Mo Ran had already withdrawn and returned home. Since they knew Sikong Kuang was a fake, there was nothing left for them to hold onto at the school.
Still, even after leaving, they left a team stationed near the academy, mainly to search for Ye Lanshan.
Meanwhile, at the school, Chu Liuxiang was caught in a dilemma—whether to search for her or not. Part of him hoped she was dead, while another part wished she was alive.
But these entanglements and grudges had nothing to do with Ye Lanshan, because on her way back to school, she took a detour to visit home.
At the Ye residence, the old patriarch's condition had worsened. Local alchemists were at a loss, and even the imperial physicians from the palace couldn't cure him.
Ye Lanshan had returned to the Ye residence with a cheerful face, only to find everyone there frowning and dejected.
Sensing something was wrong, she immediately rushed to Ye Luotian's bedroom. As she feared, he was barely clinging to life, sustained only by medicinal pills.
"Grandfather, what happened?" Ye Lanshan knelt by Ye Luotian's bedside and took his pulse. It seemed steady on the surface, but it concealed danger—his internal organs were almost entirely damaged.
"Aren't you supposed to be at school? Why are you back?" Ye Luotian had already arranged everything. Once Ye Lanshan left the academy, someone would take her to the Xuan Sect, where she would be protected.
He had planned to pass away peacefully, but he hadn't expected Ye Lanshan to return at this moment, leaving him at a loss.
"If I hadn't come back, how long were you planning to hide this from me?" Ye Lanshan was somewhat angry. She had thought Ye Luotian treated her original self well, perhaps the last shred of familial warmth in this world, but she never imagined he would hide something as serious as an illness from her.
"Sigh! Since it's come to this, I won't hide it anymore. My body is like rotten wood—beyond repair. I'm afraid I won't be able to protect you anymore."
"And so, you kept it from me?" Ye Lanshan was almost amused by this reasoning.